Here are a few notable historical examples of individuals who were pardoned, and in some cases, went on to either continue in or return to public life:
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John C. Frémont (Pardoned by James K. Polk): Frémont was convicted by court-martial of mutiny in 1848 and pardoned by President Polk. Frémont later became a U.S. Senator and the first Republican candidate for U.S. President in 1856.
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Caspar Weinberger (Pardoned by George H.W. Bush): Weinberger was Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan and was indicted in the Iran-Contra Affair. President Bush granted him a pardon in 1992 before his trial. He had been a high-ranking government official.
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Henry Cisneros (Pardoned by Bill Clinton): Cisneros, a former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for lying to the FBI during a background check and was pardoned by President Clinton in 2001.